Find me a Karen Walker blazer

Oooohhhhhh look what I just stumbled across in my eBay travels.... A Karen Walker one button blazer in tobacco.  Currently on sale on her website http://shop.karenwalker.com/ for $895 - here it is on magical eBay for $449 starting bid, or $499 buy it now.  See those pants in the main pic? Got them two weeks ago... $70 eBay.  Who wouldn't want to nab the complete outfit?

Wonder how my paypal balance is looking?

FFIFY xxx

plastic not so fantastic

So I also received in the post today a David Aubrey 'Equilibrium' necklace from Anthropologie.  My first delivery from their gorgeous retail store - excitement levels were high.    What do you think?

I had bought it to wear with a Winter Kate printed silk maxi to an upcoming wedding.  Honestly - I'm a little underwhemled. I have quite a few Anthropologie items (three super cute pencil skirts: one red and white print, one coral and the other jade green - all perfect for colour blocking) and love perusing their beautiful online store; but for me this necklace just doesn't live up to expectations. Wahh.  The small pic is the image from the website -  doesn't it look large and heavy and chunky and gorgeous? The main pic is the actual necklace, and doesn't it look cheap and plastic and light and average.  Bummer.

Looks like its eBayland for this little one.  Oh well.  Back to the drawing board... coral J.Crew bauble necklace perhaps?

FFIFY xxx

to hell with shops

So when I arrived at work today – this is what I was faced with:

Fab.  Seven whole parcels – what a way to start the day.  Have we been slightly overindulging of late? Perhaps.. but I blame this on my shopping experiences over the long weekend.  This is a phenomenon I call ‘the value for money price matrix theory of spending online vs  bricks and mortar stores’; which can be easily explained/simplified in layman’s terms:  shops are not value for money.

‘WHAT??’ I hear shocked voices resounding through cyberspace – ‘simply not TRUE!’ ‘I love shops!’ ‘Shops are the best!’ ‘Take those cruel words back’ you scream.  What evidence do I possibly have to back up this revelation?? WELL here is the proof.  My mother, sis and I were having a lovely afternoon strolling along Hasting St perusing the boutiques, in other words – looking at things we couldn’t afford.  Correction – no, we could not afford to buy them from these stores at their exorbitant prices, but – buying them online is a totally different story.  Popping into this gorgeous boutique called Bellissimo and perusing through the racks, I spotted a Lisa Brown floral silk maxi dress that I wore to the races last year (Belissimo on sale = $499, Sarah eBay = $120), and a Lola Australia silk paisley print silk kaftan dress I have had for ages (Bellissimo = $299 full price, Sarah sample sale = $79), OH and is that an Elissa Coleman ‘Whiney’ silk ruffle dress? (Bellissimo = $399, Sarah eBay = $80).

Score: Bellissimo = $1197 v Sarah = $279. BANG. That is what I'm talking about.

Back to the matter at hand – this is why shopping in real life stores escalates my online purchasing.  Two major reasons:  1. Finding items I love in store only to then hunt them down online for a better price back at the hotel room/over lunch/at the beach...; and 2. Knowing that for the price of that one Lisa Brown dress I can buy five equally gorgeous designer pieces online, and then needing to prove this to myself and eBay by purchasing five such items to make my point. Humph.

So apart from the nude shirt scenario – these are the items (in no particular order) that I also bought over the weekend:

Okay so what have we got here? From left to right: Willow silk draped printed dress $70, Country Road colourblock hessian wedges $40, Seed Femme silk blend striped tee $29.95, Arnsdorf silk double breasted boyfriend blazer $45, and lastly Seed Femme black ankle boots $32 – all eBay. Total spent = $216.95. High five.  Love it.

Shops – who needs them?

FFIFY xxxx

did someone say beige?

Okay so over the course of the past week or so I have developed an unhealthy addiction to purchasing nude sleeveless shirts.  My addiction to shirts has been around for a long time now, and with the warmer weather this has naturally progressed into an addiction to sleeveless shirts (I have four of the Sportsgirl version in a multitude of colours - if you check back feature prominently in my blog).   Having recently just been looking over my purchase history for the past week, it has uncovered a starting fact -  FOUR nude shirts in four days (okay and an Arnsdorf silk blazer, an Anthropologie necklace, and white and tan draped Willow dress and a pair of Seed Femme black ankle boots if you are getting really specific ).   

Recent nude shirt buys:

Okay so looking at it in picture form makes it seem more ridiculous than I initially thought. Four nude sleeveless shirts buys in four days?  Whist I already own two currently, plus five different shades in their long sleeved cousins... this is a call for beige overload.  My boyfriend often has to give me the beige overload warning... as I seem unable to comprehend the concept of too much beige.  Being such a loyal neutrals follower, I have been known to wear ensembles made up entirely of variations of this wonderful shade: nude and cream stripe top, beige 50's midi skirt, nude ankle boots and a latte leather belt; or a nude shirt and cream pant combo that Ryan swears looks just like I'm off to a pj party.  To him, beige = boring.  To me, beige = sleek, chic and sophisticated, so versatile and very Olivia Palermo.

Not to say I am not utterly overjoyed at the four purchases above.  The top two were from the Cue outlet at Brisbane DFO (yes I was killing time in what is quite possibly the worst DFO before the flight from hell - wasn't that a fun day?) - left Cue $59, and right Veronika Maine $45 (both had a further 15% off WOOP); and then the bottom two are eBay purchases - left is Witchery $25 (this is current season in store), and right Cue $45 (looking very similar to the top Cue shirt BUT I do detect slight differences so they are not exactly the same - phew). Imagine teamed with hot pink peg leg trousers or something in a striking cobalt (which reminds me to add 'cobalt pants' to my most wanted list) - hot.


Look out for more beige combos over the coming weeks... can't get enough.


FFIFY xxx

monday post-noosa blues

I'm back.  No I haven’t fallen off the face on the earth; although a super scary plane flight home last night certainly felt like we may fall into the earth - I have never been that scared on a plane in my life! I am now telling everyone about my ‘brush with death’ (although the nonplussed flight attendants and two six years olds sitting next to me (shrieking with glee ‘this is like a roller coaster’) may tell a different story – but I was petrified.

Alas, taking one day off work means 172 unread emails, seven urgent flags, 12 reminders and six post its on my desk; which in turn makes falling off the face of the earth much more appealing. BAH.  Did someone say overtime??? And I have so much to post about... you may have to wait until working hours are over and then will present a super long post for your perusal later today.. stay tuned.

Meanwhile here is todays outfit. 

Okay before you view please take into account the following excuses/reasonings I am presenting to you before you judge todays (rather) uninspired outfit:  Got home at 11:45pm to a 28 degree house, averaged around 2.4 hours sleep – dragged myself out of bed at seven am (= I'm very late), a hair washing day, hadn’t made my lunch the night before (yes I'm a brown bagger) and then had to play with the dog.  There is my outfit inspiration for the day.

SO on the plus side it does include a Cue shirt I bought whilst perusing Brisbane DFO (there is a fashion mecca if I have ever been to one.  Yes, that was sarcasm.  Even the Witchery has closed down....) $40 on sale Cue Outlet, love the colour and the way the bottom has a slight flare.  Yes, this is the fourth nude sleeveless shirt I have bought in the last four days... more on that later.  I have teamed this with Asos brand tailored navy peg leg trousers ($25 Asos.com – I have mentioned my distaste for the Asos brand quality, but these pants were a pleasantly surprising purchase. The fabric is quite think and actually quite nice. One for Asos, none for me), finished off with tan Tony Bianco embossed cut out wedges ($45 eBay – these are actually almost the same colour as the shirt which is a plus; and they are also slightly too small for me and by mid afternoon I will not be able to walk which is a negative.)

That is it. I'm grumpy and a bit frumpy (two of the best dwarves rolled into one)and will return to the land of the fashion blog once I get this inbox under control. Did I mention my hair is also in a pony tail? Yes. Its all over for me.

FFIFY xxx

Made it!

So it was a mission and a half to get here.. But finally hellooooo Noosa! Thank god.

So after I wrote my last post on wednesday, ten minutes later I got a very informative text from Jetstar telling me that my flight was cancelled. Great. I immediately dialled directed number in a mad panic. Noooo... I MUST get up there; otherwise it was Bonnie Doon again and that was just not going to happen. This weekend is calling for the tropics, not the back of beyond. After fighting with the very personable voice recognition computer plus 12 minutes of hold music later I was finally put through to a most unhelpful character who could only offer me another flight at the same time the following night.. But with no guarantee that this new flight would also not be cancelled. God damn. Fate was trying its darnedest to keep me in Victoria - but sorry Miss F, no chance. I hitched a ride up on the first Tiger flight the very next morning (which was a lovely 3:15am start from Ballarat) and was in Brisbane by 8:30 am that day. WOOP.

Plus, it didn't even rain yesterday. I actually got sunburnt. Life is good!

Off to Noosa today... the beach is calling. Oh and did someone say sale time in Hasting St?

FFIFY xxxx

PS Posts will be intermittent whilst I'm away :) And I am doing them via the technologies of the I-phone so you will have to excuse the unjustified text.

uh oh.... fashion find me a MIMCO take 50% off reduced items!

Okay so this is not a good week for my bank balance; but its a fabulous week for my wardrobe room!  Look what I just stumbled across on facey??

UM yes you read correctly.. FURTHER 50% OFF ALL REDUCED ITEMS. Wowsers.  And the sale is available in store and online - so literally there is no excuse for not shopping up a storm.

New wallet anyone? Yes please. Add to cart.

FFIFY xx

fashion find me an ARABELLA RAMSEY sale!!

Ladies....look what popped up in my weekly Missy Confidential newsletter?? Key words: Arabella Ramsay, Everything under $150, This weekend only.  UM what more do you need? If I wasnt already set on flying into an electrical storm and drowning myself on the (UN)Sunshine coast this weekend - this is where I'd be:

High St is where it's at. She has some amazing pieces... especially in leather.  Oh, isnt someone on the hunt for a leather dress...??

 

Enjoy!

FFIFY

weekend washout

SO. VERY bad news. I’m flying up to Noosa tonight.  Ordinarily this would be a YAY moment; but alas - it’s not.  What do you think of when you think of Noosa?  Sun filled days of strolling along Hastings St, lounging around on the beach contemplating turning over and frying your other side or sipping cocktails in a silk frock under the gorgeous Queensland sunset are just some of the first things that come to mind.  Ahhhh heaven.  Ahhhh NO. Not in this case.  Instead of sun, the Noosa sky is full of water.  And apparently so is the ground.  It’s going to flood.  Great.  Just been on the BOM website (aka: bureau of meteorology – one of my go-to internet bible sites. I am addicted to the weather –  think I get this strange predominantly male affliction from my dad. Weather is (sadly) the main topic of our phone conversations), and there are severe weather warnings in place for the entire southeast Queensland region. WOOP.

SO if I actually make it up there tonight I will be amazed. Not only are they predicting torrential rain; but also thunderstorms.  Yes please.  Who doesn’t LOVE flying in thunderstorms?

Alternatively, down here in regional Victoria they are predicting nothing but sunshine and blue skies for the Australia day long weekend.  35 degrees. Hot and dusty.  Perfect sunbaking weather.   Alanis Morissette sums it up for me – totally ironic.

So - this could be my last outfit ever (dramatic much):

Once again its Instagram-tastic. Okay so I know I am looking a little (or a LOT) casual today, but luckily its a Melbourne office day so no problems there.  My outfit today is was created with Noosa in mind (minus torrential rain of course), as its going to take me from work to plane.  Today’s outfit entails: Cohen et Sabine silk floral print maxi dress ($hmmm cannot remember – was from eBay though. Such an easy wear and very flattering and feminine), teamed with the Seed Femme chunky tan clogs ($90 in store staff discount Seed Femme) and the witchery tan skinny belt finishes it off.  Which once again I changed to the Seed Femme ‘skinny day only’ tan high waisted belt – as I keep forgetting the Witchery doesn’t match with these shoes. OH and the J.Crew turquoise necklace has actually been removed for the purpose of the office... Its in the MJ all ready for the plane trip.

At least its still going to be warm up there - humidity I can handle.  Now all I need is one of those large clear umbrellas – at least this will match in with every outfit. Can you take umbrellas on the plane??

FFIFYxxx

find it for me FAIL

Okay - so this is my first find it for me FAIL.  I could not locate said item.  As unbelievable as it seems – this dress is beyond my hunting capabilities.

So the item of interest was a hot pink dress as seen on Khloe Kardashian.  Should be an easy find.. typed in ‘hot pink dress kardashian’ into google, aand quickly learnt that the dress was by indie American label Myne. Their ‘Heidi’ drape silk dress in fuschia. Bang.  Sadly, that was as far as I could get.  All I could find was that was previously available online from Nordstrom.com, AND on sale for $110 USD.  But not anymore.  I also checked all other online Myne outlets.. nothing.  Ebay?  Nope. Even tried the classified section of the Vogue forums... No luck anywhere.

Here is the find:

I guess I still IDed the item – but still. Not Good Enough FFIFY.

Ending the day on a downer.

FFIFY xxxx

two more sleeps and hello Miss Instagram

So Instagram - where have you been all my life?

I don't think I have mentioned how technologically un-savvy I am. Downloading American TV shows is beyond me, buying music through i-tunes baffles me and I have only recently acquired an i-pod (and its only a baby shuffle). My little brothers can do more on my i-phone then I can – they are 11 and 9 respectively.

Publishing this blog has helped me to overcome my ‘noob’ technological status (read: apparent abbreviation for term for ‘newbie’ – picked up by said brothers from popular gaming show on the abc... hmmm yes.)  I now own an Mac book (which admittedly took me ages to figure out how to do even the simplest task like copying an image; randomly the screen explodes with screens going everywhere and flicking the Safari browser across to go back made my head spin – but after months of practice I now feel like a pro) and can navigate my way through ‘paint’ like no tomorrow. I have even considered buying into Photoshop (although I am sure this purchase would also require some sort of short course for me to grasp its functional abilities).

The point of all this is – I am super excited.  A friend mentioned their interest in Instagram – of which I knew nothing about. Yes I had seen the fb pics looking all cool and retro – but had no idea what people were doing to achieve this affect.  When I was deciding on the look for the blog – this was actually part of my design brief – I think I had listed something along the lines of ‘those cool vintage looking curve edge polariod photos’ (or something equally understandable).  And now – I have found them! Lucky the Instagram app is free as I don’t have a credit card linked to my I-tunes account (1. I don’t have a credit card, and 2. I wouldn’t know how to do this even if I did).

So most of last night was spent taking happy snaps of Ryan, and when he inevitably cracked it I moved onto the dog who was more than happy to pose for me (he is such a cutie).  Now I fully intend to use Instagram in all my blog picks.... WOOP.

So here is today’s outfit – fully Instagramatised!

 

 

So today’s outfit is starting to look alot like yesterday’s outfit, and the one before that... It’s funny, but before coming to this ‘smart business casual’ place of employment I didn’t even own a skirt.  No I lie – I had two maxi skirts – but they don’t count.  I could never figure out the top situation, and found buying a skirt meant also buying a top and it was just so much easier to get a dress as it does all the matchy work for you.   Conversely, now it seems all I wear are skirts. And shirts. Today;s outfit is made up of another skirt and shirt combo – Sportsgirl off white poly sleeveless shirt ($80 in store Sportsgirl), Metalicus woven Aztec print tube skirt (Xmas present from mother dearest – love love LOVE this), teamed with D.co Copenhagen tan caged wedges ($65 eBay – ultra comfy and the new hero shoe) topped off with one of the skinny belts I bought for a whole dollar at the Camberwell market.

OH and my turquoise ring. LOVE this.

Doesn’t it look better in Instagram coolness??

FFIFY xxx

OH and here is a pic of my darling puppy... what a poser xx

find it for me - Isabel Marant Rejane shearling jacket

Okay, so I know its summer.   Its the middle of January.  No, I am not immune to the 32 degree weather occurring outside.   Yes, I am sitting here in as little as possible with a cold towel on my head wondering if I should have another iced tea,  BUT - honestly.  Look at this jacket.

I can say, with a high degree of certainty, that there cannot be any sane human being out there who would not have a space ready and waiting in their wardrobe room for this baby (hello high quality Freedom rack). It is the Isabel Marant 'Rejane' oversized cotton biker jacket, and it is HOT. A total investment piece - you won't need another jacket this winter (or at least another grey cotton shearling jacket in any case). AND, was originally over a thousand pounds. Done deal.


PS the eBay option ends in four hours..... so get bidding asap.


FFIFY xxx

did someone say THREE DAY WEEK??

Yes - you read correctly.. someone did say three day week.  And then they said Noosa.  And what did they say next? WOOP. That noisy person was me.  Three days of work followed by four days in Noosa.. can’t get much better than that (well okay so a month in Paris/Maldives/New York/insert exotic location here would be definitely better - but hey. Come on.  This is good enough for me right now). 

So this week will be spent preparing to pack for much anticipated getaway.  Now I have perfected the art of packing (Ryan would disagree at this point. Quite strongly. Says someone who screws up three t-shirts and one pair of shorts into a backpack for a two week holiday).  Not to say that I don’t over pack - as with the boy scouts I know the benefits of 'being prepared'; but what I don’t do - is impulse pack.  I think there is not a girl under the sun who hasn’t stuffed something in their bag that they have never worn and won’t wear, but just cannot leave it behind for fear of not having it just in case they need it on said holiday.   Long and rambling, but it is a real life affliction that affects us all at one time or another.  A prime example of an 'impulse pack' item are white jeans. Not particularly flattering on anyone (unless your surname happens to be Huntington-Whitely), but invariably seen as a must have item in a tropical holiday bag.

So my new and improved packing method eliminates said affliction.  It is quite a long drawn out process, but the gist of it includes pre-outfitting all items before they make it into the bag.  SO:  If an item doesn’t take part in an outfit - it doesn’t make it into the bag.  It’s as simple as that.  Other points include but are not restricted to: Only create outfits that are relevant to the travelling location. For example, going to Bonnie Doon does not involve wedge  heels and silk dresses - no matter how hard I tried to work them in.  Only create outfits you have actually tried on. Very important - something that looks fab laid out together on the floor may in turn look disastrous on the body - and it’s too late to change them when you are 2000ks away from your wardrobe room.  So this is it. Guaranteed to give you a perfect travelling wardrobe.  My problem is that there is no limits on the number of outfits determined - hence why I end up taking an entire bag just for shoes.  One can never take too many.

Anyway - here is today's outfit.

So the Manning Cartell conflower blue skirt gets a showing ($50- eBay. This baby was BNWT - RRP $299. Most amazing colour - like a perfect blue summer sky), teamed with a poly Sportsgirl beige sleeveless shirt ($10 eBay - this is my third colour way in this shirt - SUCH a versatile style, plus it was only a tenner. Bam.) and then followed off with Seed Femme nude ankle boots ($100 in store Seed Femme staff discount). Nice. I since changed the boots to now be sandals and added one of the thin tan belts bought at the market yesterday. Feeling rather fresh - all ready for a trip to NOOSA.

FFIFY xxxx

to market to market to buy a...

So today was an eventful trip to the Camberwell market.  In a previous post - I did state that one must arrive at said market between 8-9am for maximum bargainability.  Which was in fact quite a bit easier when I lived down the road in Armadale.  Now, attempting to get to the market at my pre-determined time means getting up at six thirty am. On a SUNDAY.  Great.  So obviously this doesn't happen very often.

But today as my alarm rang out at the crack of dawn, I sprung determinedly out of bed. My heart was set of attending the market - and tiredness was not going to stand in my way.  Having saved time the night before by pre-selecting the market outfit (YES admittedly I broke my other golden market rule - I got dressed up to go. Well not super dressed up: Sportsgirl oversized sleeveless shirt, Metalicus aztec print tube skirt and Seed Femme ankle boots dressed up.. okay okay I was doing a city trip and wanted to feel good).  So off Citroen and I went, passing a couple of diehard groups still out from the night before, plus numerous cars pulled over by the side of the freeway (doing any number of different activities in the bushes). Early sunday morning driving always makes for an interesting ride.

So thanks to: 1. exiting to get a coffee at McDonalds and then having to reverse out the drive through when they didn't have soy milk; and 2. the ever-present roadworks in the Citylink tunnel, I arrived slightly later than planned - 8:45am.  Bathroom and soy latte stop saw me get there at just after 9:00am.  Not bad for someone who resides 1.5 hours away.

It was one of those market days where there just wasn't enough money present in the wallet for all the bargains that were available; I needed to be really selective on what I was going to spend (waste?) my $64 (after coffee) on.  This unfortunate type of day leads me to miss out on items I would have otherwise purchased immediately, as I force myself to do the 'walk away and if you are still thinking about it then you know you want it' (mother's favourite) test to see if I really needed/wanted said item.  Which then invariably means that when you go back for the item.. its 'Oh sorry love I just sold that five minutes ago. Really cheaply too. You should have bought it before if you liked it - I would have done you a deal'. Exactly the words I wanted to hear. Thank you very much.

Surprisingly, I was quite good with the test today - and think I only invested in items that I: 1. Actually like; and 2. Will actually wear again.  Bonus.  Here is what I snapped up:

SO (if you can see clearly in the darkest pictures ever):

1. Vintage cotton bright blue kimono with oriental flower print - $10. This is just gorgeous, and because there will be communal room sharing during my Noosa holiday later this week (WOOP mini-break) this is just perfect.

2. Country Road cream smock button detail tunic - $5. Yes it was only five dollars.. which I walked away thinking 'hmm something must definitely be wrong with it' for that bargain basement price.  I had quickly scanned it for defects prior to purchase.. but noticed nothing.  Upon second check - there was a 2cm long ballpoint pen mark on the front. Pen? Nothing a little SARD WONDER SOAP can't handle! Already came out.  Not my style but now I'm going to resell and triple my money.

3.  Sportsgirl coffee and aqua coloured sequin jacket - $20. Sounds horrible - but in reality the colour combo really works together. It was a supplier sample - so not even sure if it went to production. Look out for this piece to debut very soon; already building outfits around this baby.

4. 2x vintage belts.  YES I do have a ridiculously large collection of both vintage and tan belts, but at just $1 each I just couldn't pass these babies up. One of them is super skinny (1cm wide), and I have been on the look out for one of this size for some time now.

PLUS there was also a black Sportsgirl exaggerated shoulder top ($5 - this baby goes on the 'falling over reject shop rack' to join its 'smart business casual friends' - I know strong shoulders are over but I don't even think they have begun here in Ballarat), and a pair of Revival cotton mustard floral print shorts ($5 - these are really cute and I can't seem to get enough of printed shorts for weekend right now).  These items were not in the photo as Sportsgirl was in the wash - and I was wearing Revival and couldn't be bothered taking them off for the purpose of the shoot.

Total purchases = $47.  Nice one.  Came out with enough change for a berry scroll and a 500ml can of coconut water (yes I was also impressed with this find - this thing was massive).

Overall - perfect day.  Now to start the 1.5 hour trek back home.

FFIFY xxx

oh my GOD - the MJ has arrived!!

I love the postman. We are best friends.  I couldn't live without him. Guess what  he dropped off at my desk today??

MY NEW MARC JACOBS ICEY TAUPE STAM BAG.

Yes - the MJ is in the building.  It came in a large box... so initially I thought it may have been a store accidentally sending something to me instead of the warehouse.  So excitement levels remained low.  Inside the box, there was a really cute handmade bear print bag cover. Hang on - what is this? Right about now is when I started to get really excited. Gingerly peeling open said cover... this is what I found:

I must have let out a rather loud shriek as suddenly I had an audience. An equally impressed audience..  OOHS and AAHS resounded through the office.  Don't presume just because someone is wearing polar fleece doesn't mean they 1. don't have taste, and 2. can't be impressed by an MJ.  And not just any MJ, this is one of the first range of MJ Stams - from their 2005 collection. Bragging much?  Immediately I transferred the entire contents of the temp bag (new Rauol black patent shopper tote - oh Mum do you want a new bag??) into my new MJ - and then stared at it in awe for a good hour.  I also took it on its first trip over to the plaza, where local Ballaratians were undoubtedly impressed (Ill take their lack of response and vacant stares as sure signs of appreciation).  It is the bag of my dreams.

RIP olive Mimco bag; you have been an amazing companion throughout our seven month relationship.  But the time has come to let you go.  I've moved on.  Its over.  It's not you - it's me (well actually it is you - you broke. And that broke my heart).

Hello MJ Stam - this looks like the start of a beautiful friendship......

FFIFY xxxx

date night!

Ahhhh Friday. Who doesn’t love a good Friday? Especially when such a Friday falls on DATE NIGHT.

As of today, my beloved BF and I have decided to implement 'date night', as we both feel we have slipped right down the tail in the snakes and ladders game of life and dating.  Social life and Ballarat are not really words that are used in the same sentence, unless a there is a resounding no also involved in said sentence. We are finding ourselves spending Saturday nights parked on the couch with the dog – which was totally reasonable behaviour when faced with a Ballarat winter (read: face freezing minus four degrees maximum outside temperature and only ONE internal heater; which would then lead to deranged contemplations such as how to crawl/sleep/live inside said heater); but now that it is a pleasant 25 degrees outside this behaviour is no longer acceptable.  So now one night a week we must organise a night out on the town, taking it in turns each week to come up with a fantastic amazing outing idea plan. One rule: you cannot recycle your same idea each time (or else it would be fish and chips and ‘grand design’ episodes every second week – oh I love you Ryan).  Keeping in mind that we are in regional Victoria, therefore the range of night time activities we have to choose from are quite limited; but we will do our best. With or without ‘grand designs’.

SO date night number one is going to be a smasher.  Tonight’s grand plans include dinner at the best Indian restaurant in town, followed by ‘The girl with the dragon tattoo’ at gold class. OOOOHHH. Fancy.

Fancy night calls for a fancy outfit.  Yes I am heading out straight after work – so potentially went a little over the top in outfit choice/correlation to ‘smart business casual’.  Usually it wouldn’t be such an issue except that I completely forgot that we were having a national managers meeting at HO. Read: 70 store managers dressed in my favourite blue polo uniform, OH and who is that in her floral Winter Kate kimono. Yep, as usual I fit right in....

NOT.  Oh well. I am loving this outfit though – Winter Kate floral vintage silk kimono top ($45 eBay – that price doesn’t even cover this glorious fabric. What a deal, and what a top), teamed over a Seed Femme coffee marle basic tank ($15 staff discount in store – FAB coloured basic that goes with absolutely everything), all over a printed red and white Anthropologie pencil skirt ($70 eBay – actually bought this number to wear to a ‘Nautical’ themed engagement party a while back – its so cute and bright and fresh and totally fab for colour blocking), finished off with Tony Bianco tan wedges ($65 eBay – perfect nude shoe that goes with everything, plus a very comfortable wedge for A+ all day wearability). FAB. Colourful and fun.. looks like boho is making a comeback!

I think I look good.  Polo shirts are not (and will NEVER)  be my outfit of choice.

FFIFY xxx

pavlova or black? that is the question

So last night I received an invite to a gf's hens party. Fab - it feels like forever since I have let my hair down with a large posse of ladies tearing up the town.  An afternoon of barefoot bowls, followed by dinner and dancing, plus a penthouse stay. Ooh la la.  Sounds exactly like a job for.... a leather dress (well potentially not the barefoot bowls part - but there is time for a costume change in the middle there).

Now I think I have secretly been looking for such an occasion in which it would be perfectly acceptable to don said leather dress, and not be pointed and laughed at. Those occasions in Ballarat are very few and far between (or NEVER); and just the other day I found myself bidding on a tan leather and suede Asos White Label shift dress.  At the time, I thought it quite lucky (in a rare flash of money management thinking) that I was outbid in the last few seconds, as it appeared at that point to be just another item I have every intention of wearing but remains hanging untouched on the high quality Freedom rack; or worse - gets hidden away in the Melbourne only wardrobe.. Coincidentally, three days later an opportunity has now presented itself for such a dress. Unfortunately, it won't be that one.  BUT having had a bit of a quick peruse through eBay land this morning I have come up with an alternate option... just need to decide on the colour:

This is a French Connection Broderie Brogue leather dress. In either pavlova or black.  Hmmm tough decision - both are gorgeous.  And both are a measly $120 + shipping.  Best we check the pros and cons of each.  Pavlova is very feminine and pretty, but I do feel will get quite marky very easily in such a light leather, but will look hot teamed with tan heels and my J.Crew turquoise statement necklace; alternatively black is tough and rocking and will also look fab with tan heels and big hair (I am sporting the whole balayage hair trend right now so its loose and wavy all the way), yet I don't want to be too OTT in case its more of a 'jeans and top' kind of night.  Oh.  Perhaps it will be such a night. I don't really do the whole 'jeans and nice top' thing for a night out. Mid week dinner with friends, friday night drinks if coming directly from work and your work allows you to wear such outfit - fine.  All perfectly acceptable occasions for 'jeans and a top'. But ladies, this is a HENS PARTY.  A hens calls for glitz. Glam. Sequins. Feather boas. Or, at the very least, a condom studded veil and penis headband.

I want a leather dress. And - I'm getting the black. Done.

FFIFY xxxx

sssshhhhh find me a GORMAN SALE

So my lovely readership here is some FAB news... mark it in your calendar at 6pm tonight the GORMAN final summer online clearance sale begins! Check it out http://www.gormanshop.com.au (offer begins in store tomorrow - so this is an exclusive pre-sale event!) Guaranteed to nab you some amazing items.. and BONUS, it is still summer so there will be tons of lovely weather left to enjoy these sunloving items. Leopard print bike anyone? LOVE it.

Did someone say 'add to cart'??

Spend up lovelies!

FFIFY xxx

M for stands for Melbourne, S stands for Shopping

I am writing this down in the big smoke. Today is a Melbourne day... which means important meetings (bah) BUT also means hello Melbourne; and, most importantly - HELLO shopping! Melbourne days are sometimes few and far between during the working week - but when one comes along you need to grab it by the horns and take full advantage of your proximity to actual, real life, decent, shop-worthy retail stores.  The closest I come to any sort of retailer which fits this (not very selective) description in my new home town is a baby version of Sportsgirl, two Sussans and the smallest Myer in the history of Myer. So there is not a lot to go on if you need some physical in-store retail therapy. 

Melbourne days such as today rejuvenate and invigorate me in a way that no spa treatment can (well perhaps a mineral springs spa - these are simply DIVINE); it lifts the spirits and restores my faith in the retail world.  Out in the Rat I do feel like I have turned my back on the fashion pack - but one trip down in the city and I am once again united with fashion in all its forms.

Therefore today's outfit needs to be boardroom-appropriate, and yet also shopping expedition worthy at the same time.  A bonus of the Melbourne office is that there are only 5 people down here at any one point in time, and it is much more 'fashionable' than my regional office.  Heels, blazers, skinny red pants, silk frocks - all are entirely appropriate office attire down here.  YAY.

SO then:

Okay so the dress does not come up that well against the brown wooden floor or the brown cow hide rug - but still. Its all I've got in my makeshift styling studio (aka my spare room).  Admittedly today's outfit looks much better physically on the body than on the floor (thank god i hear you say) - and the colour of the dress is more like the insert pics than the large full length shot.  Todays outfit includes: Country Road spliced jersey maxi dress ($90 on sale instore CR - AHmazing dress - love the colour, love the shape, love the feel, hated the tassle belt that came with it), teamed with Seed Femme tan clog heels ($90 instore staff discount Seed Femme - again these heels are making their presence felt in a few outfits of late, a tad clunky but hot) and then tied together with the hero Witchery skinny belt.  Which once on I decided didnt actually tie anything together; in fact it actually stood out like a sore thumb due to its different tan tones.  So this was quickly swapped to a matching Seed Femme highwaisted tan waist belt ($5 Seed sample sale - BANG). I would get this baby out more often.. but its actually quite tiny and I need a super skinny day to feel comfortable.  Is today one of those days? We will soon see.. after lunch. Did someone say vegetarian dumpling soup from the Sth Melb market??

THEN I am also road-testing the new Rauol black patent shopper tote with said outfit (as sadly Mimco is still out of action). Love it.

Cannot wait to hit the shops!

FFIFY xxx

Hmmm pics arent great today - that is what you get for taking them at 6am. Sorry lovelies xxx

perfect summers eBay outfit no. 1

So am just sitting here on the couch at 9:45pm, and its 32 degrees.  And this is inside the house.  Great.

SO instead of trying to sleep I am dreaming with my eyes open.. and OH what a dream.  Naturally, its an eBay-related dream.  And in this dream $600 has appeared in my paypal account.  I love dreams.  And with this magical $600.. I have put together a little outfit which would make this hot weather all the more bearable.

Doesn't this just scream 'take me to St Tropez?' The jewel tones in the Mara Hoffman bikini work back perfectly with the oversized Siman Tu chandeliers, and that Lisa Brown dress is just divine. Although the closest I have been to St Tropez is the fake tan aisle in Priceline at Wendouree Village, I am still dreaming here. And St Tropez it is.

Wake me up when this weather is over, and when this outfit is delivered to my door.

FFIFY xxxxx

hits and misses, and I hate the skirt.

Further update on the skirt: I don’t like it. Having just been informed by my darling mother (who now thanks to my blog knows the true extent of my (excessive?) spending habits and exactly what I am wearing every day of the week – she would have to be my number 1 reader) ‘What is that skirt you are wearing today? I don’t like it – its very 80s.’. EIGHTIES! This is my most hated era. NO no no.  That is it – today is the first and last outing for Oui Set accordion pleated maxi skirt – after today it is banished back to eBay land – or at the very least off to my next market stall.  Wiping my hands clean of this one.

Of course everyone is allowed to make fashion mistakes every now and again – albeit some make a little more mistakes than others (YES me I am talking to you).  This is why I so desperately want my fashion style to sit more in the ‘simple’ and ‘classic’ and oh I’d also settle for ‘elegantly chic’ categories; but instead I find myself lumped in the ‘adventurous’ and ‘fashion forward’ classes instead; which then ultimately leads to mistakes such as the Oui Set.  Other past mistakes include but are not limited to:

-     1. A pair of wide leg floral print palazzo pants.  Sound okay – but then I will add the word sheer. Or perhaps totally see through will give a more accurate description.  So what did I do? Added a pair of black opaques underneath said sheer pants – and cut off the feet. Still sheer – but now you can really see the outline of my legs. And this was to work.  HUH?

-     2. A Zimmermann ‘Blue Bell’ maxi printed kaftan dress. You know the one – in the blue and green print with the lace inserts.  Gorgeous dress – just a tad OTT for work attire.  I had added a tan waist belt, chunky wedges and flowing hair.  Walked outside to meet my sister for lunch and she actually laughed at me. Then mentioned something about muu muus and curtains. Hmmm.

-     3. Basically anything I bought on my last trip to the Mill Markets in Geelong.  Now don’t get me wrong – I love the Mill Markets.  It has an entire level of vintage clothing/shoes and accessories – literally you can spend a whole day there looking through everything. Which I did.  Several hours and armfuls of clothes in the changeroom pile later – this is what I came out with: a pair of ripped cut off old levis (acceptable), a purple and green striped 70’s tennis dress (I don’t like purple and for some reason thought it was blue in store, plus it came free with a  bonus musty smell), a bright purple/multi-coloured printed polyester dress which I intended to cut off into a midi skirt (um WHAT?) and finally a pair of lavender pleated carrot leg pants which I cuffed at the bottom. My Nan wants these babies back – pronto.  $90 and five hours later – this is what I ended up with. Did I mention I don’t like purple?  On driving home – I actually stopped the car and had to put said items in the boot so I didn’t have to look at them anymore. It was way too distressing.

And there have been numerous other disastrous attempts over the years. One time, many moons ago, clad in a mustard tunic dress, with lovely grey-marle scrunched leg warmers coming out of vintage navy knee high boots (YES this is a real outfit – and unfortunately not from 1982. I wasn’t wearing it in the womb. Try 2000. Eeeep) I was asked if I was ‘the brown haired girl from Abba’ by a homeless man. I worked in store at Sportsgirl at the time. Enough said.

Am self-concious of the skirt now. Planning to spend the day hiding it under my desk.

FFIFY xx

chang chang changity changity BOP

Today is Wednesday, and Wednesday is rain. Torrential 'I'm doing fabulous things to the white doona cover you put outside on the line last night' kind of rain. Great.  Thats going back in the washing machine. Thankfully, said rain also helped to lower the temperature overnight.. I think it was about 24 degrees in our uninsulated Victorian-era fixer-upper six hours ago when I finally made myself go to bed. Sweatbox much? Hours of sleep = oh about 4.

SO not feeling at all bright and refreshed this morning - BUT today's outfit should give me a bit of cheer.  

In yesterday's post I received the Oui Set mustard accordion pleated skirt ($25 - eBay).  Here is another tip - read descriptions on eBay C A R E F U L L Y. Otherwise you may be in for a nasty surprise (countless times have I put items in watch without reading the description - and then gone to bid, read said description 'has large hole in the back of dress' and thanked the lord I didn't click that 'confirm to bid').  In this case with the Oui Set skirt - I must have missed the 'maxi' part of the item description 'Oui Set accordion pleated high waist maxi skirt'. Hmmm - should have gone to Specsavers.  

So the skirt is quite a bit longer than anticipated - it falls to mid calf.  Its actually quite thick and has another layer underneath. I can't wear it high waisted as it is too big.  Not even 100% sure it is super flattering.  I think I may do some further research into Oui Set today - as even the tag on this baby is decidedly retro. I feel a bit like Sandy at the drive in... it has a real vintage feel especially when teamed with a Sportsgirl red polyester sleeveless shirt tucked in ($80 in-store Sportsgirl. I have three of these shirts (in different colours I must add) - can't get enough), a Witchery tan skinny belt ($40 in-store Witchery) knotted at the waist and Seed Femme tan vintage-esque clogs ($90 staff discount Seed Femme - LOVE these. But the sizing is a little strange - these are a 41. Im a 39. Yes). I think the outfit all ties together well - but what may look good on the floor in my spare room may have a decidedly different look on the body. 

So that is today.  Wednesday.  Thought I'd get in early, as the head honcho is in today and moi needs to look decidedly workish. 

Ill squeeze out another post at lunch.

FFIFY xxx

find it for me - Kate Middleton (and Prince Harry!)'s gumboots

So - a little bit of an unusual 'find it for me request' came through.... gumboots in the middle of summer. Wait. On second thoughts - I live in a place where it was 8 degrees in the middle of January. What am I thinking? Gumboots would have been totally appropriate footwear.

BUT these were not just any ordinary gumboots, nosiree - these were Royal gumboots. As seen on Miss Middleton herself, and, funnily enough, matching along next to the Duchess was none other than Prince Harry (looking as cute as ever I just have to say). First thought - Hunters.  The people's wellington of choice. Alas - upon closer inspection of the front logo - this was not a Hunter product at all. Oh.

Turns out these babies are not just rubber boots.  In fact, the are handcrafted in France, leather-lined, with a woollen overlay.  They feature an invisible side zip for easy dressing (what? no falling over whilst trying to tug out your foot without getting mud everywhere?) and an extra thick durable sole. These are not bashing about in the garden on the weekend footwear - these exquisitely made boots are the epitome of wet weather style.  Made by Le Chemeau, these are the 'Chasseur' boot in olive green. Fancy.

Interested?

So there you have it - Royal gumboots coming right up.

Maybe its time to upgrade my Hunters? If they are good enough for Kate...

FFIFY xxxx

PS the above is just a tidbit of the product package sent out with each fashion find... want one? Send me a find :)